How to Write 槽 (cáo) — Meaning “Trough / groove”

Picture a wooden trough (木) used to feed livestock, and imagine the animals making a 'cáo' sound as they eat. Alternatively, think of a 'cáo' (曹) shaped piece of wood that becomes a groove or trough. This links the sound and meaning together.

The left radical 木 should be written narrow and tall, with the fourth stroke (a dot) placed just below the crossing. For the right part 曹, pay attention to the upper component 艹 (grass radical) and the lower 曰 (sun), making sure the 曰 is not too wide. A common mistake is writing the right side too loosely, making the character unbalanced.

槽 means 'trough' or 'groove' and uses the wood radical with 曹. 椴 (duàn) refers to the lime tree or a type of wood, and 椹 (zhēn) means a mulberry tree or a wooden anvil. While all share the 木 radical, their right-side components and meanings are completely different, so focus on the distinct right parts to tell them apart.

槽 appears in everyday words like 水槽 (sink) and 跳槽 (to change jobs, literally 'jump trough'). The word 跳槽 is interesting because it comes from horses jumping between feeding troughs, but now it commonly describes changing jobs. 槽点 (point of criticism) is a modern slang term used in online discussions to refer to flaws or things people complain about.

Common words containing 槽 include: 水槽 (shuǐ cáo) — Sink / Trough; 跳槽 (tiào cáo) — To change jobs; job-hopping.; 槽点 (cáo diǎn) — Point of criticism / gripe.